Bound by Darkness, Freed by Light — Book III: This Is War
by Draic Kin of the Balance
Summary: Love. Loss. Sacrifice. Choice. It all ends here.
1. Prologue: Perchance to Dream

**This Is War**

**By Draic Kin of the Balance**

* * *

"_A warning to the people, the good and the evil_

_This is war_

_To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim_

_This is war_

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight, the moment to fight_

_To fight, to fight, to fight_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the earth_

_It's a brave new world from the last to the first_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the earth_

_It's a brave new world, it's a brave new world_

_A warning to the prophet, the liar, the honest_

_This is war_

_Oh, to the leader, the pariah, the victim, the messiah_

_This is war_

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight, the moment to fight_

_To fight, to fight, to fight_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the earth_

_It's a brave new world from the last to the first_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the earth_

_It's a brave new world, it's a brave new world_

_It's a brave new world_

_I do believe in the light_

_Raise your hands up to the sky_

_The fight is done, the war is won_

_Lift your hands toward the sun_

_Toward the sun_

_(It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie)_

_(The moment to live and the moment to die)_

_Toward the sun_

_(It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie)_

_(The moment to live and the moment to die)_

_Toward the sun_

_(The moment to fight, the moment to fight)_

_(To fight, to fight, to fight)_

_The war is won_." –30 Seconds To Mars, _This Is War _

* * *

_Some say the world will end in fire,_

_Some say in ice._

_From what I've tasted of desire_

_I hold with those who favor fire._

_But if it had to perish twice,_

_I think I know enough of hate_

_To say that for destruction ice_

_Is also great_

_And would suffice._

Dean shook his head. Robert Frost had it all wrong. The world wasn't ending in fire nor ice, but darkness. He glanced towards Sam, who was engaged in discussion with Alan and Barry. It'd been a week since the Dark Presence had made its final attack on the town, covering the entire globe in shadows. To venture out of the lighthouse would mean certain death.

"It's just like in a dream I had," Alan said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Dean turned to face the writer. "What the hell are you talking about?" _First Sam and I have the same dream, and now Stephen King has a dream of the end of the world? _

"Before I came here to Bright Falls, I had this nightmare. It was too vivid, too...real, to be a mere dream," he explained. "The Dark Presence had laid waste to the entire world – this lighthouse was the last safe haven. I thought nothing of it until it took my wife from me. It was a warning. Zane thought I could stop it from happening, and I did, but—" He sighed. "We can't stay in here forever."

"It's bad out there, Alan," Barry said. "You guys can go out, but I'm staying the fuck in here."

"Do what you want, Barry," Sam interjected, "but the longer we stay in here, the more power this darkness holds over us. Over everything. We need to end this once and for all."

"We need the Clicker, Sam," Dean pointed out. "And guess what? We don't have the damned thing! It's the only thing that can kill the Dark Presence!"

"Dean, I used the Clicker on the Dark Presence and all it did was weaken it and destroy its vessel," the writer told him. "It's not enough."

Dean's temper flared. "Bullshit!" he shouted.

"Whoa, easy there!" Barry stepped between the writer and the eldest Winchester in an attempt to maintain the peace. "Dude, calm the fuck down. He is not the enemy here! I get you're pissed, but if you're going to get pissed, don't get pissed at us!" A slight smile fell upon Dean's lips, and he pulled his fist back before swinging it into Barry's face.

"DEAN!" Sam shouted. "Dean, what the hell? Barry, you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said. His face was a bloody mess; Dean had broken his nose. "Thanks for asking." He shot him a glare of disdain before making his way upstairs with Alan.

"Dean, what the hell has gotten into you?" Sam grabbed Dean by the arm, turning him around to face him. "You've been erratic and on edge this past week and now you're throwing punches! If there was alcohol around this place, you'd be drinking yourself senseless!"

"Everyone we care about is dead and the Dark Presence has the upper hand in this war, Sam," he snapped, yanking his arm free of his younger brother's grip. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just give up."

"Dean. I've been given the choice to die or quit the family business more times than I can count," Sam said passionately. "I could have chosen to quit, but I didn't. Why? You. I'm still here because of you, Dean. I'm still fighting. For you! Don't you fucking dare quit on me now. I'm barely keeping my shit together, so don't even think about giving up this fight. I know you're hurting, I do – hell, I am too – but you need to pull yourself together otherwise this is all going to go down to shit." He met his brother's eyes for a brief few moments before stalking away.

_Sam's right, _a voice in the back of his mind purred. _He's been fighting for you his entire life. You can't give up now. If you do, you'll be giving up on him. _


	2. Intuition

Sarah was feeling it in her gut. Her instincts were screaming at her, her intuition abuzz. Tensions were rising amongst the people, and it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. Lena's iron fist was gripping the people to the point where they couldn't breathe any more. She was no leader, but a corrupt politician out for blood. It was only a matter of time before Bright Falls completely collapsed under her sovereignty.

She climbed off her mattress and made her way towards the base camp. The town was abuzz: lovers were searching for one another, children crying, men fighting. _Lena isn't trying to keep everyone under control at all_, she realized. _This needs to end. _

"Watch it, idiot!"

"What the fuck did you just call me?" A knot formed in Sarah's stomach. She tried following the sound of their voices so she could break them up before something happened.

"Get your head out of your ass, fucktard! MY ENTIRE FAMILY DIED OUT THERE, SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCK OFF?!" There was the sound of a punch being thrown and shattered glass. _Oh my god. _Sarah pushed through the crowd, and finally found the source of the chaos. Two young men were locked in combat, both out for blood. Rage and hatred twisted their facial features, and for a moment, it scared her.

"STOP IT!" she screamed. The men showed no sign of hearing her, they were too caught up in the fight and their bloodlust. Hurriedly, she grabbed the man dominating the other and quickly pulled him back, only to feel his fist swing into her face, knocking her to the ground. She struck the pavement with enough force that she saw stars. _Dammit! Get up, Sarah! _

"What the hell is going on here?" Lena strode towards them, two pistols in hand. Authority reverberated off her in waves; she was furious, and Sarah knew she wouldn't hesitate to shed blood. "You two! Cut out this bullshit!" She raised one of her weapons skywards and fired, startling everyone – including the two citizens in question. "Get the hell off of each other. _Now._"

The prosecuted obliged, albeit reluctantly. There was no sign of shame in their facial expressions, just anger and pure hatred for one another. Lena was just as enraged, if not more, but she was dangerously calm and composed. "Have you forgotten who the real enemy is?" she snapped.

"No, ma'am."

"Then please tell me why the fuck you decided to go on ahead and try to kill one another," she went on. "Enough blood has been shed within this past week, so pull your heads out of your asses before one of you gets a bullet in your head. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Only one of the men responded. Lena raised one of her weapons, aiming it at him. In her eyes, there was no fear. No life. Just immeasurable rage.

"Jake, you're dismissed. Get out." He did as he was ordered, and quickly departed, shoving his way through the crowd. "And you, Christian," she growled. "I know your family has a history of domestic violence. Your father raped your mother on several occasions and eventually killed her, your brother was beaten to death – also by your father, go figure, and it just goes further and further down. I'm a cop, I know these things. I really shouldn't be all that surprised by what happened here, but I am truly disappointed. I thought you could do better."

"Do you expect me to apologize?" Christian demanded. Lena shook her head, not once taking her gun off him. Sarah was terrified – for both Christian's life and what Lena would do as punishment. There was not a doubt in her mind he would receive the death penalty, and she couldn't allow it. She wouldn't, but what could she do? There was a crowd watching the scene, and if something went wrong…

"I have given you several chances," she said, "to own up to all the shit you've done, and you've done nothing but disappoint."

"What the fuck is this?" he yelled. "Is this supposed to be a democracy, because it sure as hell doesn't look like one?"

"We don't have time for democracy," Lena said calmly. "Christian, do you have anything to say?"

"Yes, I do. Go to hell, bitch." For a moment, Sarah thought she saw a hint of a smile on Lena's lips before she pulled the trigger. Christian fell over backwards, his unseeing eyes wide open in surprise. She was speechless – Lena had just killed a man in cold blood without blinking twice. It was several moments before she was able to bring herself out of her shock and climb back to her feet. She stormed towards Lena, grabbing her by the arm.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

Lena jerked herself out of Sarah's grip. "Judge, jury, and executioner. If there's anything that'll keep the people in line, it's fear."

"How many people have you executed?!" _Oh God. _

"Five within this past week, if you really want to know," she said. "Six, counting Christian. Seven if you don't back off." She lifted her guns to emphasize her threat, and reluctantly, Sarah took a step back. "The world's changed, Sarah. We don't have the luxury of being soft."

"Lena, please. I know you think you're doing what's best for the town, but all you're doing is leading it to social, economic and political collapse."

"Am I?" she retorted. "Where the hell were you all this time, huh? I've been fighting tooth and nail to keep this community intact, while you've been off doing whatever shit you were doing!"

"I've been fighting this war!" Sarah countered. "You don't even know what's out there, do you? You've been down here playing boot camp with the people of this town –"

"For their own good!"

"Really? I'm not seeing it. I see a community on the verge of collapse. Your execution of that man and the riot that almost broke out are proof of that." Lena looked her dead in the eye, her facial expression cold and hard.

"You don't want to fuck with me, Sarah," she warned. "You saw the consequences. I had no qualms killing Christian. Don't think I won't do the same to you."

* * *

Sam stole a glance towards his elder brother. Dean lie asleep on the ground, using his jacket as an impromptu blanket. Barry and Alan were at the top of the lighthouse. What they were doing, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that something had to be done about the Dark Presence's dominance over the globe. He wasn't an idiot; he knew it was risky, venturing outside of the lighthouse, but they were running out of options. They could either let the world burn, or continue fighting. And he wanted to fight, with or without his brother. He knew what he had to do, and his intuition was screaming at him that if all went well, the Dark Presence would be vanquished and he would be dead or lost in the Dark Place.

"I am so sorry, Dean," Sam said quietly, "but I need to do this." He knelt by his sleeping brother and gently stroked his face. His heart clenched in his chest, and tears burned in his eyes. "If I don't do this, no one else will. I love you, big brother. Thank you. For everything." He felt his tears slip down his cheeks. "This is for the best." Without another word, feeling his chest constrict, he rose to his feet, turned on his heel, and departed. It was reckless to go to Cauldron Lake without the Clicker, but Sam couldn't bring himself to care. Not anymore.


	3. Stand By Me

This couldn't go on any longer. Lena's authority over the people was proving disastrous with every passing minute. She'd said herself she'd executed almost half a dozen people who'd defied her. Sarah couldn't allow her tyranny to be the thing that would ultimately destroy the town's sense of security.

When it happened, she knew Lena had been behind it. She felt someone slam their palms into her back with enough force to knock her to the ground, and she quickly turned around to face her assailants. All men. Burly, gruff, murderous. They reeked of alcohol and weed and shit. There was no time for her to think, just to act. She brandished her guns without hesitation, scrambling backwards as the gang advanced on her like a pack of wolves. "Get the hell away from me," she hissed. In retaliation, one of them struck her in the face with a belt. The blow burned like fire, and she cried out in pain, dropping her weapons. She was helpless as they roughly grabbed her as she kicked and shouted and struggled. They were twice as big as she was, and had twice her strength. A gag was jammed into her mouth, muffling her screams, and her wrists yanked behind her back and bound with cords.

"_Mmmph! Mmmph-mmmph!" _She thrashed about violently, the cords biting into her skin. Lena's men whispered to one another in a different language. Japanese, she thought. After what appeared to be a mutual agreement, one of them drew a large, burlap sack. There was nothing she could do but struggle as she was roughly stuffed into the bag and thrown over one of their shoulders. She screamed as loud as she could through the gag, and it didn't seem like hours later until she was tossed to the ground.

"I apologize for the manner of which you've been…brought to me," Lena began. "I knew you'd be difficult, and force would be the only option." She paused. "Let her out of the bag and ungag her." The bag opened, and when the gag was removed from her mouth, Sarah took several deep breaths of oxygen as she was shoved out of it and onto the cold pavement.

"Why the hell am I here, Lena?" Sarah demanded, rising to her feet. "What the hell was so important you had to send your bodyguards to kidnap me?"

"You know you wouldn't come of your own free will," she said calmly, casually spinning one of her guns around her finger. "I killed Christian because he threatened everything I stood for – what Bright Falls stood for."

"So, what the hell are you saying?" Sarah refused to believe what she was hearing. Was she about to be executed for wanting to do what was best for Bright Falls? If she was going to die, she was – in Dean's words – going to go down swinging. "Are you going to fucking put a bullet through my head in cold blood in an illegal execution? Are you going murder me, as you've murdered several over this past week? You are no leader of this town, Lena. You're a politician, and this town isn't going to make it as long as you have your claws dug into them the way you – _mmph_!" She was cut off abruptly as one of Lena's men stuffed the gag back into her mouth.

"I'm sorry," said Lena, aiming the gun at her. There was a loud bang, and suddenly, everything was still.

* * *

"Dean! Dean, wake up!" Dean felt someone shaking him awake, and he jolted upright to find Alan and Barry towering over him. They were both worried. What about, he wasn't sure.

"What…what is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Sam's gone," Barry explained.

"What?!" Dean shot to his feet, slipping on his jacket. _No, no, no, no, please no. For the love of god, please tell me Sammy didn't go off and go where I think he went… _"How? Where the hell could he go?"

"We think he may have went to Cauldron Lake," Alan informed him, "to finish this – but he doesn't have the Clicker. It's suicide, Dean."

"I need to go." Dean brushed past the writer to the door, but Alan grabbed his arm. "Let go of me!" he snapped, jerking himself out of his grip. "My little brother's out there, and he is going to die if I don't stop him!" He felt his temper spike. Did Alan understand? Did Barry understand? Sam – his Sammy – was his only anchor to the world, the one thing that kept him fighting the good fight. He was his everything, his entire world. If he lost him again…Dean couldn't begin to fathom the agony he would experience. "Alan, please. _Let me go. _Sam's all I got. I need to go out there. If he's going to die, he ain't going to die alone."

"Are you sure you're willing to risk it?" the writer asked him. "Are you sure you're willing to risk everything for your brother?"

"Yes! I'm sure!" Dean glared at Alan. "Get the fuck out of my way, or I swear to god…"

"Let him go, dude," Barry said. "Good luck out there, Dean." Dean nodded and hurried out the door. _I'm coming, Sammy. _


End file.
